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Wednesday, 28 September 2016

Baby sign language

Baby sign language can be a great link between the 2 languages (English-Hungarian) we speak. It serves as a third language and helps Baby Sis to understand basic ideas even if we use different languages. The sign is always the same.

After quite a lot of research on the net I found MAKATON the most expressive and easy to remember sign collection. What's more, it is designed for children so one can find nursery rhymes and songs signed online, which makes it easier to learn and after a while (when your child is older) you can also watch a special BBC programme, Something Special.

Depending on the baby's interest you can introduce 1-2 topics with 4-5 signs per week or you can choose a mixture of 10-15 favourite signs:

foods

animals

more family members

toys

everyday objects

colours

action verbs

(Depending on my time and if I can get some help with the video shooting I'll put on some Makaton sign videos in the future)

Singing and signing:

Singing to your baby and telling her nursery rhymes are the best way to familiarise your child with the sounds, intonation, tune of your language(s). While singing you can sign what you sing about. You don't need to sign every word just the most important ones. Your child will be fascinated by the sound and the visual impact as well.

Make sure you check out Signing Hands youtube channel where you can find several traditional nursery rhymes and songs signed. (You can learn the signing from the son quite easily)

About Me

Hello there,
just a short intro about me. I was born in 1978, in Budapest, Hungary, and graduated as an English teacher in 2001. I spent a school year in Ireland where I taught primary school kids. Before E. was born I had been teaching at language schools, at companies and privately at home. Now my greatest "teaching" project in on: raising my baby bilingual (Hungarian- English) in a purely Hungarian environment.